A refrigerated railcar having a bunker for holding CO.sub.2 snow generated by a spray manifold temporarily hooked up to a supply of liquid CO.sub.2, the bunker allowing the gaseous CO.sub.2 sublimated from the formed snow to pass down through vents and into an improved underfloor flow channeled floor which provides a maze-like structure to cool an underside of the cargo. Additionally, an improved insulated manifold pipe hanger is described. Additionally, an improvement in the venting arrangement of the bunker area and an improved configuration of the manifold orifices to provide a more evenly deposited snow thickness throughout the bunker during charging is described.
A railway hopper car has a through center sill including an elongated central section substantially A-shaped in transverse cross section, two end sections substantially hat-shaped in transverse cross section and two transition sections respectively connecting said end sections to the adjacent ends of the central section. The central section has upper and lower parts, each of which may comprise a plurality of subsections arranged in end-to-end relationship. Each transition section includes a transition member rectangular at one end for mating with the end section and trapezoidal at the other end for mating with the lower part of the central section. Each transition section also includes an inverted V-shaped top reinforcing member and a horizontal bottom reinforcing plate. Alternative forms of the lower part of the central section are disclosed.
A railway car for transporting pulverulent lading includes a fluid-tight container, slope sheets mounted within the container defining two troughs leading to a sump in the lower portion of the container, two aligned permeable conveyors in the bottom of each trough, an apparatus for alternately aerating each permeable conveyor in each trough for fluidizing the lading to facilitate movement thereof into the sump. Discharge valve structure is provided below the sump for pneumatically unloading the container pipe for pressurizing the space between the slope sheets and the container, and a pipe interconnecting the top of the container and the discharge valve structure for conveying air from within the container to the discharge valve structure during unloading of the container, are also provided.
A railway train including a plurality of interconnected tank cars, each car comprising a tank with a lading conduit extending the length thereof and having first and second pipes communicating with the interior of the tank with one of the pipes extending to the bottom of the tank and the other terminating adjacent to the top of the tank, the lading conduits of adjacent cars being interconnected by flexible connecting conduits; valve mechanism in the lading conduits and the first and second pipes for closing the lading conduit between the first and second pipes and opening the first and second pipes during loading of fluid lading into the tank and during unloading of fluid lading from the tank and for closing the first and second pipes during transporting of the tank; also disclosed is a loading system and an unloading system for a train of such tank cars.
Saigh, Philip A., Glueckert, Albert J., Budininkas, Pranas, and Caldwell, Jr., Joseph
Abstract
The toilet system includes an evaporator tank having an inlet and an outlet that is at the top portion of the tank, a first electrical heater mounted on the tank, macerator/transfer pump means connected to the inlet of the tank to transfer flushed waste from a toilet to that tank, a vapor treatment system including a vessel having an inlet and a vent outlet and containing a bed of catalyst, first conduit means connected to the outlet of the tank and to the inlet of the vessel to transfer vapor from the tank to the vessel, a second electrical heater mounted on the conduit means to heat vapor passing from the tank to the vessel of the vapor treatment system, and second conduit means connected to the first conduit means between the mounting of the second heater and the evaporator tank to introduce pressure air into the vapor from the tank before the heating of the vapor. The toilet system further includes means mounted in one of said first and second conduit means and responsive to a condition indicative of inadequate pressure of air in said second conduit means to prevent continued operation of the second heater. The toilet system has low-level sensing means mounted in the evaporator tank that is operative, when the level of liquid waste in that tank is below a predetermined low level, to prevent the operation of the first heater. Also mounted in the evaporator tank is high-level sensing means that is operative, when the level of liquid waste in the tank has raised to a predetermined higher level to prevent the operation of the macerator/transfer pump means until the level of liquid in the tank is lowered by evaporation of water from the liquid waste in the tank or the discharge of liquid waste from the tank.
A railway train includes a plurality of interconnected tank cars, each car comprising a tank provided with two lading conduits in the top thereof extending thereinto for communication with the interior thereof and each having an outer end extending above the tank and toward the adjacent end thereof and terminating inboard of the adjacent tank car end, the lading conduits of adjacent cars being interconnected by flexible connecting conduits; one lading conduit extends diagonally downwardly and terminates near the bottom of the tank for filling and/or eduction unloading thereof with the other lading conduit terminating near the top of the tank for venting and filling of an adjacent tank and for automatically determining the outage of the tank. An inlet and outlet assembly may be mounted in the bottom of the tank providing a sump in registry with the bottom terminal portion of the eduction conduit.
A railway train made up of individual tank cars for interconnection and fluid communication with associated-like tank cars by flexible connecting conduits, wherein each tank car includes a wheeled chassis structure provided with coupling means for coupling adjacent tank cars. A tank is mounted on the chassis structure and has two lading conduits respectively coupled to the tank and in fluid communication therewith, each of the lading conduits having an outer end extending outwardly from the tank adjacent to the top thereof. Each of the lading conduits is connected to a vent conduit and to an eduction conduit with the vent conduit extending into the tank and having the inner end thereof terminating a predetermined distance from and near the top of the tank and with the eduction conduit extending into the tank and having the inner end thereof terminating near the bottom of the tank. Valves are provided to interrupt communication between the vent conduits and the lading conduits and between the eduction conduits and the lading conduits. The above structure enables tank cars to be loaded or unloaded from either end thereof.
A railway train comprised of interconnected tank cars, each provided with two lading conduits coupled to and in fluid communication with the tank car. A baffle is positioned in the tank car intermediate the lading conduits to provide an automatic outage for the tank car. Liquid lading introduced into the tank car through one of the lading conduits fills the tank car thereby trapping gas vapor resulting in overflow of the liquid lading into the next tank car to fill the tank train seriatim.
An intermodal tank container for use interchangeably in railroad, highway, marine and terminal modes, including a tank for containing lading and having means for loading lading thereinto and means for unloading lading therefrom, two spaced-apart end frames mounted respectively on the opposite ends of the tank, each end frame including a rigid framework surrounding an area greater than that of the adjacent end of the tank, and a tank support ring surrounding and rigidly secured to the adjacent end of the tank and rigidly secured to the framework for transmitting forces therebetween, the tank comprising the only connection between the end frames and having all parts thereof contained within an envelope defined by the peripheries of the end frames.
A hopper vehicle has a hopper door movable between open and closed positions and carrying a door latch movable between latching and unlatching configurations with respect to a keeper on the hopper vehicle. A secondary latch on the door is pivotally movable between a latched condition engageable with a keeper on the door latch for holding it in its unlatching configuration and an unlatched condition accommodating movement of the door latch between its latching and unlatching configurations. A spring urges the secondary latch toward its latched condition and an actuator plate on the hopper vehicle drives the secondary latch to its unlatched condition in response to movement of the door to its closed position. Thus, the door latch is held in its unlatching configuration except when the door is closed.
A novel ball valve type purging device for a tank train ball valve purging device wherein a one-way valve is connected in an upper portion of a long vertical interconnecting pipe between adjacent cars of a string of tank cars so as to let gas pass from the long vent pipe into the top of the tank car and eliminates or minimizes the necessity to blow gas or air through the car commodity during purging of the interconnects and greatly reduces the pressure and quantities of purge gas required. The structure of the invention effectively eliminates the limitation on the length of a string of cars due to the purging requirements and the reduction of the quantity of purge gas substantially reduces the cost of purging particularly wherein inert or bottled gas such as nitrogen is utilized.
A safety device for a pressure vessel having an opening therein in which is positioned an upstanding base secured around the vessel opening with a frangible diaphragm covering the opening. A protective cap covers the base with the frangible diaphragm and has a central aperture therein covered by a transparent material providing continuous visibility of the frangible diaphragm. The protective cap has an internal annular seat to retain the frangible diaphragm in place and spaced apart fasteners maintain the cap fixedly connected to the base.
A railway tank car is provided for interconnection in fluid communication with associated tank cars. Each of the tank cars includes a tank mounted on a chassis structure with two lading conduits respectively coupled to the tank, each having an outer end extending outwardly from the tank adjacent to the top thereof and at least one having an inner end extending into the tank and terminating near the bottom thereof. A vapor vent is connected to the tank to vent gas vapors produced during loading. The vent is closed by a valve actuated by a control mechanism in response to a level sensing means which determines the level of liquid lading in the tank. The tank car or train may be loaded or unloaded from either end thereof since the cars can have symmetrical internal piping, and, similarly the gas vapor may be collected from either end of the tank car or train.
A floating roof for floating upon and covering liquids stored in storage tanks, the roof including a deck generally conforming to the shape of the associated storage tank and having transverse dimensions and a thickness such that the deck is flexible, a pontoon around the outer periphery of the deck to impart buoyancy thereto, and a hermetically sealed hollow floatation ring mounted on the deck intermediate the center and the outer edge thereof, the weight of the floatation ring being asymmetrically disposed so as to place an area of the deck at a lower level than all other areas to provide a sump, and a drain communicating with the sump to drain liquid from the upper surface of the deck.
A novel purge system for a string of tank cars wherein purge gas is directly introduced into the vapor space of each tank above the cargo in the tank and wherein the purge gas is not bubbled through the cargo but is supplied directly to the vapor space above the cargo and forces the cargo out the vent pipe at the end of the car to the next car to successively assure that the proper level of cargo and the proper pressure of the purge gas is maintained in all of the cars. Since the gas is not bubbled through the cargo, gas will not be stored in the cargo and the pressure requirements will be substantially reduced as compared to bubbling through the commodity and the volume of gas required will be reduced due to the lower pressure and elimination of potential absorption which may occur when the bubbling method is utilized.
